Eternus Lux Atrum Animus
by emmy20211
Summary: Carth and Bastila were stuck in the same escape pod, and now have to try and find their way off Taris. Bastila also has to find a certain someone. A very AU story. RevxCanderous and OCxCarth
1. Chapter 1

**Emmy20211: **Okay, well this is a collab story that me and my friend Ellagne started writing a while ago... quite a while ago...

**Ellagne: **Not that long ago

**Emmy20211: **It was long ago

**Ellagne: **No it wasn't

**Emmy20211: **Yes it was!

**Ellagne: ... **Anyway, we finally finished chapter 1 and now we get to post it! :)

**Emmy20211: **Yeah, please enjoy and review--

**Ellagne: **Please review to tell us whatcha think of our first collaboration!

**Emmy20211: **What she said...

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**Chapter 1:**

Jarah poked her head out of the damaged escape pod. Her brown eyes darted around her surroundings. "Crap," she breathed. "Tell me I'm not where I think I am." Jarah rubbed her head as she looked around again, swearing under her breath as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Less than twenty feet away, a grimy scavenger dug through the twisted remains of another escape pod. "This is not good," said Jarah, slipping back into the pod. Where there was one scavenger, there was usually more.

_OK, how am I going to get out of here?_Jarah wondered. She wasn't about to assume that the scavengers wouldn't make slaves of the survivors - assumptions got people killed or worse. The only idea that came to mind with her limited knowledge of the surroundings and resources was to wait for a distraction and then run like hell.

She was checking that her precious blaster was still in working condition when ghastly howling and yelping slid through the open crack in the pod hatch. Kinrath ran up and down her spine. _Crap, what was that? _Instinct and fear told her to freeze to which she obeyed. Her ears detected blaster fire, screams and inhuman cries and snarls.

Jarah wasn't sure what was going on; but whatever it was, it didn't sound pleasant and did sound like the perfect distraction. She slowly peeked out of the pod and surveyed the area. There were many scavengers spread about, but the thing that caught her eye was a little blue Twi'lek and a Wookiee being chased by grotesque creatures. The scavengers had turned their blasters on the pale creatures, while the Twi'lek and Wookiee turned to make their stand. Jarah briefly wondered what the beasts were, but couldn't look closely. Any desire to get a more thorough look at a live specimen vanished as she watched three of the creatures jump on one of the men, biting and clawing wildly. He screamed loudly as he was ripped apart until a stray blaster bolt hit him in the head.

Jarah watched the fight end as a large, muscled man blew the head off one beast with a nasty-ass Mandalorian heavy repeater. Judging from how that man regrouped the other scavengers, Jarah assumed he was the leader.

"Gee, thanks," the Twi'lek said in a bubbly voice. "Good thing you guys were down here today."

The man with the heavy repeater turned to face her, and Jarah noted that he had a Mandalorian clan tattoo on his upper arm. He sneered down at her, "I've seen you both fight before - you could've taken the rakghouls. You just want to search through this rubble and try and pickpocket what you can, don't you? Little thieving brat."

This left no doubt in Jarah's mind: he was a Mandalorian.

"What if we just take you as a slave to pay your debt? How about it, boys?" Sick hoots of agreement echoed through the dark. While the Twi'lek scowled, she looked unafraid. With good reason, as the Wookiee moved in front of his companion, completely shielding her from the scavengers' view, and roared something in Shriiwook.

Jarah frowned, but pounced on the opportunity to creep away from the pod. She froze when the Twi'lek turned around and saw her. To Jarah's surprise, however, the Twi'lek didn't raise the alarm. On the contrary, she motioned for Jarah to run around the corner on her left. Jarah stared suspiciously at the Twi'lek for a moment, then decided that things really couldn't get much worse and ran for the opening as fast as she dared.

Her blood ran cold when the grizzled Mandalorian stared right at her. But he didn't sound the alarm. Never the less, Jarah dashed away as fast as she could, adrenaline pounding through her system.

She ran and ran until she got through the alley, only thoughts on getting away from the Mandalorian and the scavengers. When the adrenaline rush faded, Jarah slowed down then stopped altogether. She turned around and saw the Twi'lek and Wookiee right behind her.

"Thanks," she said, analysing the two strangers and trying to judge whether they could be trusted or not. "That was a nice distraction."

"No prob," replied the Twi'lek with a smirk. "I'm Mission and this big guy is Zaalbar,"

"I'm Jarah," she said, nodding at Mission and Zaalbar, finally deciding that they were the trustworthy type. "What you're doing down here? Not that I'm not grateful that you were."

"Big Z and I like to explore the sewers and Undercity. It gives us something to do, you know?"

"Isn't it dangerous?" Jarah thought back to the glistening pale beasts that had madly torn apart the scavenger and tried to suppress a shudder.

"Not with Big Z here."

"Well, anyway, I owe you one."

Mission shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We weren't going to let them take you prisoner."

"But still," Jarah pressed, "you two didn't need to do that. If there'll be a way to repay the debt, I will."

"_Such honour_," Zaalbar remarked. "_Why aren't more humans like you?_"

Jarah gave some thought to the question. "Probably because humans seem to be more susceptible to greed and selfishness than other races."

Mission gasped. "You know Shriiwook?"

Jarah shrugged. "Yeah, I know many languages. It comes naturally."

"_We can talk more later_," the Wookiee said, "_but right now we should move up to the Lower City. I can hear the scavengers moving and I don't want them to find Jarah_."

"Good thinking," Mission replied. "Follow us, Jarah."

Jarah checked one more time that her blaster was in its holster and it wouldn't be hindered in being drawn, and then followed her rescuers.

oOo

"Have you found a way off Taris yet?" Bastila demanded.

Carth sighed in frustration. "No." Why did he have to be stuck with the prissy Jedi that the Sith were hunting? Couldn't he have been in the escape pod with some rookie? But then, he supposed, if he had been stuck with the rookie, then they probably would've had to jump through about twenty hoops to find Bastila.

"I don't like your tone, commander. Remember who is the leader--"

"With all due respect, we have been stranded in enemy territory for five days and you have constantly hounded me every time I walk through the door. Cut me a little slack."

"Well maybe if I could go out too, finding a way off this bloody planet would come easier!" Bastila replied hotly. She did not enjoy being forced to stay in the poorly-maintained apartment, no matter how many Sith were running around outside. She had found a rat in the bathroom this morning. And then there was the matter of _losing_ the. . . Oh, if her masters found out, she would be in great trouble.

"You know that's not possible," he replied, trying to be more reasonable. "I know you're probably getting angsty, but if you're captured by the Sith then to put it in blunt terms, we'll be screwed."

She sighed. "How come they never mention things like this when telling you you're the only hope for the galaxy?"

There was a knock on the door before Carth could answer. Bastila knew the drill, so she stood up and hurried into the bathroom. Carth warily made his way to the door, one hand on a blaster. He pressed the door controls, and a young man stood there.

"I was asked to give you this by Dr. Zelka Forn," the stranger murmured, pressing a datapad into Carth's free hand. "Good day." He walked off. Carth stared after him for a moment then hit the controls again. He went to the rusting table and sat down.

"Who was that?" Bastila asked as she returned from her hiding place.

"No idea, but he gave me this and said it was from Zelka," Carth replied. He switched on the datapad and waited impatiently as it hummed to life. His mind thought it through. Either it was a trap set by the Sith, or one or more of the soldiers in the kolto tanks has miraculously healed. As he read through the message, he realised that both of his guesses seemed legit.

"Lieutenant Kailyn Moore," Bastila read over his shoulder, rolling the name experimentally around her mouth. "Do you know if she was on the _Endar Spire_?"

Carth thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, she was on the _Spire_. I remember plenty of people talking about her."

"Why?" Bastila queried.

"Because a few months ago she held off wave after wave of Sith from one of the Republic's near-deserted outposts all by herself for over half an hour until we could send in reinforcements. I imagine it must've been terrible afterwards, with everyone talking about it and all. So she was assigned to the _Endar Spire_."

"Oh," Bastila replied, unable to think of anything else to say. "Well, commander, do you think this is a trap? If she's well known for her achievement, then no doubt the Sith know her name."

Bastila didn't need to fuel his suspicion. "I know. But if this is genuine, then the lieutenant will be a valuable asset and we shouldn't leave her behind anyway."

"Let me come. I will be able to sense if it is be a trap or not."

Carth deliberated. Protecting Bastila was, admittedly, more important than another officer despite how he felt about leaving people behind. "How about this," he bargained, "I'll go alone, but if I'm not back within half an hour you should come looking for me. Just _try_ to stay discreet."

Bastila sighed in defeat.

oOo

Carth had to admit he was surprised when it turned out to be genuine. Zelka had welcomed him, then ushered him into the secret room where the injured Republic troops were. There, sitting on a bed, was Lieutenant Kailyn Moore.

"Commander," Kailyn greeted. Her right hand twitched as if she was thinking of saluting.

"Lieutenant," he nodded in return. "It's good to know someone else survived." His eyes drifted to the other men and women in the kolto tanks.

"Yes," she replied softly as she also turned her gaze to the injured. Then she put herself back together. "Well I suppose I'll be going with you then." She stood up and stretched. Her ribs protested, shooting spikes of pain up her sides. Kailyn flinched, a quiet hiss breezing through her lips. Carth frowned slightly as he watched Kailyn wince, but he managed to regain his regular look before she faced him. _Funny, that_, he thought somewhat idly. Almost every time he had seen her she had been injured, but that didn't say she was inept. Kailyn just got into trouble frequently.

"Well, thank you Dr. Forn," she said.

"It was my pleasure."

"Lead the way, Commander," she said as she took a stiff posture, partly from habit and partly from her still-hurting body.

oOo

Zaalbar helped Jarah up from the derelict emergency ladder shaft. It was only one of the many ways Mission and Zaalbar used to move between the Lower City and Undercity. The two followed Mission, who had set off at a quick trot.

_Boy, this girl has stamina_, Jarah thought, impressed. She had a stitch in her side, but had too much pride to ask the Twi'lek to slow down.

As if Mission had heard her thought, she slowed as they reached an intersection. "Where should we go? I dunno if we have enough room in our apartment for three people, so where. . ." Mission trailed off, thinking hard. Where could they go that would be safe for their new friend to rest?

"_The Beks are always hospitable_," Zaalbar suggested.

"Big Z, you're a genius! C'mon!"

Mission grabbed Zaalbar's paw and Jarah's hand, and then promptly dragged them towards the base of the Hidden Beks.

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**Emmy20211: **Please review! We're begging!!!

**Ellagne: **We like reviews

*both do puppy dog eyes*


	2. Chapter 2

**Ellagne:** Sorry, we forgot to say thanks to my cousin for coming up with the title. It means Eternal Light, Dark Soul in Latin.

**Emmy20211: **Enjoy the story and please review.

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**Chapter 2:**

Jarah couldn't help but feel impressed as she was given a tour of the Hidden Bek base. These people were living in an underprivileged world, yet their security was top notch and everything was in reasonable condition. The walls were chipped and slightly cracked in places, but in relatively good condition; and the rooms were rather empty, but the few things that were there had a utilitarian feel. Throughout the base, it was a boiling pot of races and cultures.

The thing that Jarah noticed the most was Gadon's distinct pride in his base and his Beks. He was the type of person who easily won the respect of his peers. Gadon looked out not only for his own interests, but the interests of his men and women. It was something Jarah could respect, especially when her only allies were a teenage Twi'lek and a Wookiee. If someone really wanted Jarah, she doubted two partners would be enough to... discourage them. In fact, they'd probably take Mission and Zaalbar too. But if Jarah joined the Beks, she'd have protection, food, a bed and maybe even a future rescue team... if she proved herself important enough to warrant it in these dire times.

"And so we've come full circle," Gadon finished as they walked into the main entry.

"Pretty nice place you've got here," Jarah complimented. After a second, she completely made up her mind and asked, "Where do I sign up?"

Behind Gadon, Zaerdra's eyes narrowed further from her suspicious glare into slits. The leader of the Hidden Beks seemed to sense this and without turning his head in her direction, he held up a hand to stop her from alienating their potential recruit.

"You may stay and join us if you wish," he said with a slight nod, before turning to Mission, "would you take her to get some gear and find a room?"

"Sure, Gadon," replied Mission, happy that her new friend was joining the Beks, "come on Jarah, follow me." As she set a brisk pace, Mission had to fight down the arising jealousy that Jarah could join, while Gadon still refused her. Luckily, for someone with such a sunny disposition, winning over negative emotions was easy.

Zaalbar stayed behind and watched as an ecstatic Mission dragged Jarah through the halls and out of sight.

"Zaalbar," said Gadon, making Zaalbar turn his head to face the Bek leader. "Can she be trusted?" he bluntly asked. Behind him, Zaerdra's eyes bored into the Wookiee, ready to hear and assess his answer.

Zaalbar nodded and warbled in his native Shriiwook, "_Yes, she can._"

Gadon and Zaerdra were two more of the rare few who could understand Wookiee-speak. Or enough of it at least. Zaalbar then went on to explain the story of how he and Mission found Jarah.

"I believe she can be trusted then," said Gadon, "don't you agree, Zaerdra?"

Zaerdra opened her mouth to protest but realised she didn't have an argument. "Yes Gadon," she acquiesced after a few moments of silence.

oOo

"Kailyn?"

The lieutenant halted her survey of the apartment room and turned her gaze to Carth. "Sir?"

He was looking at her two weapons - a blaster pistol and a plain short sword. Neither looked of standard make; and while Carth was sure she could handle both proficiently, he also knew she favoured something different.

"What's your preferred weapon?" he asked. Bastila looked up from cleaning her lightsaber to hear her response.

"Sniper rifle, sir," Kailyn answered without hesitation. She noticed his eyes on her blaster and blade - and admittedly, in comparison with a rifle, they weren't much. So Kailyn added on with the tiniest amount of pride, "But I can make do with whatever I have."

"I'm sure you can," appeased Carth, "but we need to be prepared for anything and you'll probably be more comfortable with a heavier weapon." He raked his eyes over her form once. "Dump your stuff and we'll go find you something."

Kailyn's eyes widened slightly - she was obviously taken aback at what his statement entailed. Nevertheless, she wordlessly tossed her light knapsack on the bed, and with only a single furtive glance at Bastila, she followed Carth.

She glanced at Carth and felt a strange sense of déjà vu. No, she thought, not déjà vu... more like a faint pang of familiarity. "Sir?"

Carth glanced at her. "Yes?"

"Should I know you?"

He chuckled at her tone. "You must have a good memory then. I was in the reinforcements at Hrarker Base, on the group that got you out there."

She frowned, examining him closely. Kailyn cocked her head on the side as she thought hard. "Hmm. . . I vaguely remember you. . . Granted, my brother _was_ taking up most of the spotlight when I was awake."

Carth chuckled again. "I remember your brother - he was completely unbearable. Both before _and_ after we found you."

Kailyn grinned. "Zach's like that." Then she remembered he was her commanding officer and added, "Sir."

"Oh yeah," Carth glanced at her over his shoulder, "there's no need to call me 'sir' or 'commander'. I think that would point us out as Republic survivors quicker than a sign around our necks."

She blushed and looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry--" she cut herself off before she said 'sir'. "Old habits are hard to break. I learned and served under much stricter commanders than those of the Republic."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "In boot camp, one guy forgot to call one of our commanders 'sir' and he woke up in med bay a week and a half later."

Carth winced in sympathy. Boot camp was always tough, but that? "That sounds very... harsh."

Kailyn shrugged. She had known no different, so it didn't seem that bad to her. "We had smaller numbers than the Republic Navy, so there was less room for mistakes. But that particular training master was. . ." she winced, "very _nasty_."

They were walking out of the apartment building by then, and Kailyn examined the Upper City streets of Taris.  
Everywhere she looked there was some sort of structure. As far as she could see, there was no greenery of any kind. She'd heard that Taris was mostly structures, but this was ridiculous. The buildings were very tall, most so tall that Kailyn had to strain her eyes to see them. She concluded that the tall buildings were apartments. Most of the city was white, making it harsh on the eyes in the bright sunlight. There were many walls and shops surrounding a walkway, which wasn't as crowded as she thought it might be.  
The people were mostly silent, going about their daily business. There were children keeping close to their parents, which was unusual, and droids roaming the streets. But, the people that Kailyn noticed the most were the Sith patrolling the streets. They glanced left and right as they walked up and down the streets. Kailyn quickly looked elsewhere when she saw them.

She glanced at Carth before noting where everything was. She wasn't in the mood to get lost around here.

As they walked towards the nearest store, Kailyn asked, "Are you sure you want to spend credits on a rifle for me?" Her tone and face showed she didn't quite believe it.

"Why are you so surprised?"

It seemed that she now had no inhibitions speaking to him as if he were just another person, not her commander. "Because this is not what I'm used to - you're going to spend your credits on a blaster for me while I already have sufficient weapons? It's very strange."

Carth raised his eyebrows, surprised. He wondered briefly what it would've been like in the Korvaii military, before getting his mind back on track. "Well, if it's weird for you to think of it as a kindness, then think of it like this: we're in hostile territory and I need you to be at the top of your game. If buying something akin to a sniper rifle increases our chances of surviving, then so be it."

They walked into the store and glanced around. Kailyn immediately made her way over to the heavier weaponry. Kailyn skimmed over the inventory but found that there was nothing to her liking. They visited the next few stores but the blaster rifles had been either confiscated by the Sith or wasn't a model that she was used to using.  
It was around lunch time by the time they found the Equipment Emporium. As usual Kailyn inspected the heavier weaponry without a glance at any of the other wares. She sucked in her breath as she picked up one particular rifle.  
It looked like the younger cousin of her favoured Aratech M24-SWS, and the brother of the lighter sniper-like rifle she also used frequently.

"I have a question," Kailyn said, getting the saleslady's attention. "Why hasn't this rifle been confiscated? This guy can wreak complete havoc if you know how to use it."

"Shh," she warned, putting a finger to her lips and smiling secretively. "When the Sith looked over my weapons, they didn't pay a great deal of attention to the lighter heavy rifles." Kailyn's lips twitched at 'lighter heavy rifles'. "I take it you're familiar with this model?"

Kailyn nodded with a slight smile. "This guy's one of my best friends."

Her smile became that of a canny business person. "So I take it you're interested in buying?"

oOo

"Hey, Jarah?" Mission bounded out of nowhere and latched onto the blonde's arm.

"What is it, Mish?"

"Are you good with mechanical stuff, like swoop bikes and stuff?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah, of course," Jarah replied unthinkingly. She was still half-asleep and was more concerned about finding the caffa pot. "Why?"

"Well... uh, just wondering coz, uh..."

Jarah stopped. Even in her state of lethargy she knew the Twi'lek was hiding something. "Spit it out."

"Um... you know about the Vulkars warring with the Beks, right?" Jarah nodded. "If the Vulkars win the Taris Opener next week, the Beks will be screwed--"

"Language!"

Mission immediately scowled and snapped, "Hey, you ain't my mother!"

Jarah controlled her expression so she didn't look amused. With a wave of her arm she said, "Continue."

She seemed to have no problems getting back on track. "Well, so the Beks won't lose and be destroyed, they uh, built an... ah... illegalmodification... sotheresnexttonopossibility... theywilllosetheopener!" _(a/n: take out the ... and put it all together like it's meant to be... It's meant to be one long mixed word but Fanfiction just wouldn't let that happen, sorry!!!)_

Jarah spent the next few minutes putting spaces between the appropriate letters to work out what Mission actually said. "_Oh_. . . And you were so nervous about telling me why?"

She looked down at the ground and shuffled a foot, embarrassed. "Well, it is illegal and all and you're a Republic soldier. . ."

"Didn't I mention I was conscripted?" asked Jarah critically.

"Ah... no, you didn't," she mumbled.

Jarah blamed her dodgy memory on her current caffa withdrawal. "Huh, I thought I did. . ."

"_Anyway_," Mission once again returned their conversation to the proper topic, "the techs would absolutely love another hand to help get the prototype engine running."

"Let me hijack the caffa pot first," she bargained, continuing to shuffle her way to the mess hall.

"Uh, Jarah?"

The blonde turned back around. "What?"

"The techs working on the swoops have the better caffa."

"Lead the way! Quickly!"

Mission smirked and inched a little to the left. "This way," she said, walking through a door with Jarah following close behind. They walked through several corridors, winding deeper into the heart of the base, before arriving in front of a large, grey door. It was large enough to lead into a warehouse, which it probably did.  
"The garage is in here," said Mission as the doors opened.

Jarah followed Mission into the warehouse and her eyes widened as she looked around. It was huge and had many different swoop bikes in it; all painted in Hidden Bek colours, of course. Some of the vehicles looked in top condition, while others had colourful wires and other innards hanging out. All around the swoop bikes there were pieces of metal and different tools. Most of the techs were working on four particular swoop bikes but there was one swoop, off to the side, which drew Jarah's eyes.

Every technician working with this particular swoop bike had dark rings under their eyes, or their species' equivalent. Grease and other stains had nearly completely dyed their protective overalls a dirty brown. And, sitting on a bench not bogged down with tools, was a large pot of steaming caffa with several mugs littered around it.

"Booya," Jarah muttered. She took a deep breath, ignoring the smells of dirty people and engine grease, and focused on the invigorating aroma of freshly brewed caffa.

"Hey," called one of the weary technicians. "That's our caffa! It's for those working on this swoop only."

"What would you say if I said I came to offer my skills in getting this swoop working?" Jarah returned, stifling a yawn with one hand.

He looked the blonde over. "If the situation were different I'd say you were just trying to steal our caffa. C'mon, let's get you a pair of overalls then see what you can do. I'm the head of this project, by the way." He motioned her to follow him to a pile of semi-clean overalls. Jarah grabbed one she estimated would fit and hastily threw it over her new Hidden Bek uniform.

She studied the swoop bike that she was led towards, examining every inch of durasteel and wiring. She could tell that it was far from finished. There were many colourful wires streaming out of the bike, half unconnected to anything and the other half untidily pushed into the swoop bike to get them out of the way. There was a small device sitting on a bench not far from the workers. It was grey and rather rough and bumpy with more tangles of wires spewing from it. Jarah had no idea what it was -- it looked similar to an engine, but she had never seen anything like it before. Most of the workers were staying away from whatever it was; it was probably going to be connected last.  
Jarah turned her attention back to the bike. As she drew closer she noticed that there were still many pieces of metal and electronics strewn across the floor, just waiting to be attached to the swoop.

"We made a prototype accelerator so we'll have a better chance of winning the Tarisian Opener," the head technician began to explain, gesturing to the lump on the workbench. "The problem is that in order to make room for it, we have to rewire practically the whole bloody bike. How much experience have you had with mechanics?"

"I used to be a mechanic, actually," Jarah replied. "I've wired swoops so many times it's not funny."

"Good," he approved, and then turned to the techs surrounding the swoop. He called, "Everyone!" All heads looked up from their work. "We've got a new mechanic, uh... what's your name?" he asked, glancing back at the woman.

"Jarah."

"Jarah, here," he continued. There were a few whoops and grins among the techs. "Thalees, you can go get some shut-eye."

"_Thanksss bossss,_" a Trandoshan rasped, then stood tiredly and shuffled out of the room.

"_You're the one Mission and Zaalbar brought back from the Undercity, right?_" a light green Twi'lek with elaborately decorated head tails asked.

"Yeah," Jarah replied. "Nice to meet you too."

"Okay, okay," the head mechanic said, "we'll get proper introductions underway. I'm Quann, she," he gestured at the Twi'lek, "is Sheelu." He named every other tech working on the swoop quickly, impatient to get underway.

"Nice to meet you all," Jarah said when he was finished, from lack of anything better to say.

"_Well, we're under a time limit so let's get to work_," Sheelu said.

"One moment." Jarah held up a hand, and then practically ran to the caffa pot.

* * *

**Emmy20211: **Ellagne actually has this on her deviantart account if you wanna go see it as it's meant to be (Her username is the same)... We had to change it slightly because of fanfiction *grumble*


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